All the headlines from our AM Best Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Dec 30 2016 // While Chinese companies have been increasing their overseas merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in recent years, there are signs that growth could slow in the coming year, as a result of uncertain economic outlook...
Dec 28 2016 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B (Fair) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb-” from “bb” of Nevada-domiciled Golden Insurance Company, A Risk...
Dec 27 2016 // The U.S. personal auto insurance industry saw net premiums written grow 5.1 percent in 2015 — a rate of growth that may not be repeated as rising loss ratios weaken both underwriting and operating results, according to...
Dec 21 2016 // New Mexico’s Mountain States Mutual Casualty Co. is merging into Pennsylvania-based Donegal Mutual Insurance Co., the insurers announced.Donegal Mutual will be the surviving company in the merger, and Mountain...
Dec 16 2016 // The ongoing pressures of diminishing investment returns, dwindling loss reserves and intense competition are beginning to erode industry fundamentals, cautioned A.M. Best in a special report titled “Insurers Hunt for...
Dec 14 2016 // The outlook for the reinsurance sector is being held at negative by A.M. Best, which cited continuing market challenges that will hinder the potential for positive rating actions and may eventually bring negative rating...
Dec 5 2016 // Liberty Mutual Insurance has agreed to acquire specialty lines insurer Ironshore Inc. from China’s Fosun International Limited.Liberty Mutual will acquire a 100 percent ownership interest in Ironshore. According to...
Nov 29 2016 // Net ultimate asbestos losses for the U.S. property/casualty industry have risen once again. They’re now at $100 billion, and that’s $15 billion higher than the previous estimate, according to a new A.M. Best...
Nov 18 2016 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide released its initial estimates of industry insured losses from the earthquake that struck New Zealand’s South Island early this week, putting a range of $762 million to $3.5...
Nov 4 2016 // Greenlight Reinsurance Ltd. has been seeking to improve underwriting results after months of losses. But it apparently hasn’t moved fast enough for A.M. Best, which slapped it with credit ratings downgrades.A.M. Best...
Oct 25 2016 // Stockton, Calif.-based Golden Bear Insurance Co. announced that its A.M. Best issuer credit rating has been upgraded from “A- VI” to “A- VII” (Excellent). “Our rating reaffirms the deep level...
Oct 21 2016 // A.M. Best has assigned a financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and a long-term issuer credit rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” to LUBA Indemnity Insurance Co.LUBA Indemnity a wholly owned subsidiary of...
Oct 18 2016 // A.M. Best does not anticipate a significant number of rating actions related to Hurricane Matthew, as most rated insurance carriers have sufficient capital and appropriate reinsurance programs in place to effectively...
Sep 26 2016 // Starr Companies has acquired Wright USA from Ironshore Insurance Services, a subsidiary of China’s Fosun Group.Wright USA is an insurance agency and third-party administrator principally providing Federal Employee...
Sep 19 2016 // The business outlook for the London insurance market is a familiar one across other global markets: underwriting profits are under pressure as ongoing soft market prices begin to take a toll.In separate reports on the...
Sep 14 2016 // The workers’ compensation market has likely entered a soft market phase based on a declining trend in price increases that began in 2013, according to a new report from A.M. Best.The report titled, “State...
Sep 12 2016 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B (Fair) and the long-term issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bb+” of Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Co. (Farmers) in Okarche, Okla.The outlook for the...
Sep 12 2016 // Swiss Re landed on top of a ranking of global non-life reinsurers, just edging out Munich Re by a few hundred million dollars in premium on a list extracted from an A.M. Best analysis.The rating agency’s special...
Sep 8 2016 // Europe’s top cedents reported a double-digit hike in cessions for 2015 compared to the previous year. The trend stems from their taking advantage of cheap and bountiful reinsurance capacity, A.M. Best said in a new...
Sep 7 2016 // A.M. Best said its outlook for the reinsurance sector remains negative due to a multitude of factors, and it will likely stay that way for quite some time.“Our rating outlook remains longer-term than our typical...